Unkindness
by Trinity23Rose
Summary: Caitlin's reaction to seeing Wells on his electric wheelchair for the first time. (original Harrison from Earth 1 version)


Caitlin's reaction to seeing Wells on his electric wheelchair for the first time. (original Harrison from Earth 1 version)

* * *

The first time Caitlin saw dr. Wells on his brad new electric wheelchair, she needed to excuse herself. She left the room and immediately started crying once finally alone, because it was simply too much. Her heart ached so much she thought it was going to burst from all the pain. Yet, she wasn't the one suffering the most, was she? That was Harrison. The greatest man she'd ever gotten the pleasure of knowing. Just another proof that life, indeed, was rarely fair and the worst fates could strike even the best people.

The man had already been through so much tragedy in his life, having lost the woman he loved in a tragic accident. Yet, somehow he managed to pick himself up, to overcome grief, to move on and actually build S.T.A.R. Labs from nothing, reaching the very peak of his bright career. He was truly shining like the brightest star in the sky, Caitlin thought. Only then it all quite literally blew up straight into his face, leaving him crippled. And it was just too much. It was fate so awful that she could only blame the unkindness of life itself.

An unkindness that was heart wrenching.

Caitlin froze once the door to the room in which she was hiding in suddenly opened and she couldn't mistake the electric hum of a chair for anyone else entering but _him_.

She quickly turned her back to him, desperate to hide her tears and suddenly feeling ashamed that she was the one falling apart whereas it was him that lost everything he'd ever held dear.

"Caitlin, don't cry for me," she heard his calm voice behind her and then the door closed as he drove inside, stopping just inches from her. "I'm still alive."

"Your lifetime long dream is gone, Harrison. Everyone thinks you're a pariah. No one wants to work for you anymore, let alone talk to you and…" She shook her head, sniffling and then wiping the tears from her eyes. "I'm sorry. It's not me that should be falling apart now."

"What are you even talking about?" he asked her in a rather playful tone so she just had to turn to look at him. "I still have you, don't I?" he asked, sparks dancing around his blue pupils, making her feel very uncomfortable because how on earth he could be in such a good mood after _everything_? "Caitlin," he then said her name in a serious tone, seeing that she was in no mood for jokes, "you never left my side and I truly did not expect such devotion from you. Your career was at stake and yet…"

"You will never lose me, Harrison," she interrupted, making that clear. " _Never_ ," she then emphasized.

There seemed to be too much meaning conveyed in both of their eyes now and pregnant silence fell, the obvious always there on their minds but never actually spoken aloud since there had always seemed to be something more important to do at the moment like launching the particle accelerator.

Eventually, he decided to finally touch upon this, as it seemed to be, forbidden topic. Yet, before he did that, he sighed heavily and reached for his glasses to take them off, his blue eyes now meeting hers with no barriers. She noticed the sudden sadness taking reign over his expression and it pulled at her heart even more. "Caitlin, the life you deserve to have… I can't give to you," he confessed.

"It's all right," she immediately followed suit, "because all I need is you."

"Likewise," he confessed and that single word filled her heart with hope. Well, at least till he continued, "But still… the truth is that you don't need a crippled man, much less an older one, Caitlin."

"Let me get this straight," she began angrily, setting her hands on her hips, "you're finally ready to talk _feelings_ and put a name to what has been going on between us just to… shut me down? Harrison, I deserve a choice in the matter. _I am_ the judge of what I do or don't deserve and _I am_ choosing _you_."

There was silence again as they were simply looking at each other, him still trying to be stubborn, but she could see clearly that his determination was lessening. She was the one thing left that he cared about and letting her go would've been the hardest thing he'd ever had to do. Good thing he didn't really have to, she thought, suddenly grasping the whole meaning of what he just did. It wasn't as though he was trying to take her choice away from her. He was simply giving her an out, an excuse to leave him, to go out there and get a better life for herself, maybe one with a glorious career and some young idiot by her side. She would love the first but hated the second. Yet, in the end none of it mattered because all she could ever want was _him._ And he must've seen that in her eyes as she was looking at him because his lips suddenly parted and he eventually looked away, too emotional to be able to withhold her gaze for much longer.

"Harrison," she picked it up again when making that one more step closer to him so she could crouch down and look up at him, her hands covering his own that rested on his laps and squeezing gently, "when life gives you one good thing in the midst of all this tragedy, don't push it away. I'm here. I'm always going to be here with you. I promise you I am not going anyway. We can rebuild this pace together if you want. I don't care much for my career if my happiness by your side is at stake, but I still believe that I can have it all back with you. We can get there. There's only one star in S.T.A.R. Labs that I care for and I'm looking at it."

Eventually, he did let go. He gave in.

He nodded slowly, almost imperceptibly at first, but she was so intent on looking for his reaction that she still noticed. Next thing he knew she cupped his face and her lips finally touched his own, causing him to lose himself completely in those feelings. He loved her and she loved him. It was that easy. Nothing else mattered and he finally accepted that.

And truly, despite her thinking life dealt him with all the bad cards, he didn't share that opinion. To him it was the other way around because she was simply there. After everything, she was still there and she wasn't going anywhere.

And he thanked his lucky stars for Caitlin Snow being present in his life.


End file.
